Frustrated

We had a run-through today at the field.  We have a trial coming up in October (our club), and we haven't been able to do run-throughs because of the oppressive heat.  It was supposed to cool off this weekend, so we met up at the field at 8:30 (am).  As I speak (10:30 am) it is 85 degrees, and the heat index makes it feel like 94.  So not really much of a reprieve.

We ran a REALLY tough Standard course.  They said it was Advanced, but I think it looked more like Masters.  There were a couple angles that NO ONE got through on the first try--even the masters dogs.

Bentley's first run was not great.  He missed his dogwalk contact by a mile.  That was really the worst part.  Everything else might be too hard to explain.  His second run was a disaster.  He stopped on the teeter in the blue, and I started to coax him down as he waited (before the yellow), then he popped off before I released him.  He barked at me on the table (though he did eventually lay down).  I didn't put him on the whole dogwalk, just the downside, and he still missed it.  I put him back on, and he got it the second time.  Then, he dropped a bar on the first jump of a pinwheel, and didn't get out.  Then, he misjudged the A-frame and had to scramble up unnaturally, so he jumped off and missed his A-frame contact.  He missed his weave pole entry (in all fairness it was REALLY hard), then misjudged the tire and broke it apart.  I mean, I think he messed up more obstacles than he performed correctly.

I tried to sound positive and give him cookies, but it was so hard!  I don't know if this is a result of us not working him enough, a result of the heat (it was really hot), a result of our working contacts but not much else, or just a fluke.  Sigh.  I just don't know what to do.

Lexi got to run, too.  Of course it was a mangled version of the course, but she did some really great stuff.  Her teeter was nice.  She still needs to speed it up, but she is consistently running to the end and hanging out as she rides it down.  She also had great contacts (still using target plates), and had two AMAZING rear crosses!  It's so much easier to rear cross when your dog is fast, and obstacle focused!  I was very proud of that.  She also had her moments of spinning and running out ahead, but hopefully we'll make those fewer and farther between as she learns to read us and vice versa.